Spring opened pliers



July 21, 1970 T. F. ANGQUIST 3,521,510

SPRING OPENED PLIERS Filed May 22, 1968 INVENTOR.

TORSTEN E ANGQUIST ATTORNE S United States Patent 3,521,510 SPRING OPENED PLIERS Torsten F. Angquist, West Ellicott, N.Y., assignor to Crescent Niagara Corporation, Buffalo, NY. Filed May 22, 1968, Ser. No. 731,147 Int. Cl. B25b 7/06 US. Cl. 81-417 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A spring opened plier or nipper or cutter or shears, or gripper or puller or the like, wherein a pair of arms are pivotally connected and spring-biased toward open position; featuring an improved design torsion spring and mounting arrangement therefor whereby the spring is unobtrusively nested between the arm members and operably coupled thereto in novel manner.

BACKGROUND AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention provides an improvement over the spring design and mounting arrangement as shown in my presently pending U.S.A. patent application S.N. 560,543, filed June 27, 1966 and now Pat. No. 3,398,451.

Thus, the invention relates generally to hand tools, and more particularly to pliers or nippers, shears, grippers, or the like.

Tools of the above referenced type are widely used for various purposes, and it is a prime desideratum that such tools may naturally fit into the hand of the operator while being spring-actuated to open automatically instantaneously, and smoothly; upon release of squeezing pressures thereon.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a tool as aforesaid embodying an improved spring opening device.

Another object is to provide in a tool as aforesaid an improved spring design and mounting arrangement therefor.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following specification and the accompanying drawing wherein:

THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a wire nipper type hand tool embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side edge elevational view of the tool of FIG. 1 and;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken as indicated by line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

As shown by way of example in the drawing herewith, the tool of the invention may be constructed to comprise essentially a pair of arm members designated generally at 10, 12, respectivey, which are pivotally interconnected by means of a pivot screw 14. As shown herein, the arms 10, 12, are formed with smoothly curving handle portions 16, 18, preferably covered by plastic or rubber sleeves or the like as indicated at 20; the parts :being shaped and dimensioned so as to smoothly and comfortably fit within the palm of the users hand. At their other ends the arms 10, 12, are formed with cutting jaws 22, 24, respectively. A torsion spring of the present invention as indicated generally at 25 is anchored at its opposite ends in apertured portions 2626 of the arms 10, 12 and is so arranged as to automatically open the tool whenever manual squeezing pressures thereon are relaxed.

It is a particular feature of the present invention that the spring is of such form and is so mounted in the device as to be optimally effective as a spring unit While at the same time being so unobtrusively incorporated in the 3,521,510 Patented July 21, 1970 mechanism that the operator is unaware of its existence. This result may be accomplished by simply piercing the apertures 26, 26, through the tool arms 10, 12, and then providing the torsion spring 25 with helically coiled nub portions 3030 as best illustrated at FIG. 3. The nu-b portions 30-30 are externally diametered so as to pivotfit freely Within the apertures 26, 26. However, the remote end portions of the coiled nubs 30-30 are set to somewhat larger diameters as illustrated at 3232. Thus, it will be appreciated that the spring device 25 may be readily assembled relative to the arms 10-12 simply by press-fitting the nub portions 32-32 thereof through the bores 2626 of the arms. This action involves a diametric contraction at each end portion 32, but when they emerge from the bores 2626 at the opposite sides of the arms, they spring out to their normal larger diameter forms.

Thus, the spring end portions 3232 function as enlarged head devices operating thenceforth to maintain the spring against any unintended dislodgements from the arms of the tool. The torsion spring 25 is thereby firmly locked at its opposite ends in the arms 10, 12, while only straight and smooth leg portions 3434 of spring wire lie against and overlap only the interior surfaces of the tool arms. The spring 25 is thereby disposed in such an attitude as to operate with optimum mechanical advantage; while at the same time being practically buried between the handle members and out of contact with the hand of the user.

It is also a particular feature and advantage of the present spring design and mounting arrangement that the nub portions 3030 of the spring device are of such outside diameters as to be freely rotatable in the bores 2626 of the arms 1012. It is by virtue of this arrangement that the anchorages of the spring 25 in the arms 10-12 are freely pivotable while at the same time being maintained by the remote end portions 32--32 thereof against any unintended dislodgements of the spring from the arms of the tool. Hence, secondary stresses on the spring structure such as would be imposed thereon if the nub portions 30-30 were to be frictionally gripped within the bores 2626, are totally avoided; and the fatigue life of the spring device is greatly enhanced.

Furthermore, it will be appreciated that operations i11- volving assembly and disassembly of the spring relative to the other tool parts are greatly facilitated by the spring design of the invention. This is because the ends of the spring relative to the other tool parts are greatly facilitated by the spring design of the invention. This is because the ends of the spring may be simply pressed and snapfitted into locked positions relative to the tool arms, whereupon they become freely pivotable therein. Also, the spring may be as easily disassembled therefrom simply by a reversely directed driving operation, such as may be performed by a hand punch or the like.

Whereas the invention has been illustrated and described hereinabove only in connection with the manufacture of a nipper of the wire cutting type, it is of course equally applicable to the manufacture of other type tools. Hence, it will be understood that although only one specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described herein by way of example, various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the folowing claims.

I claim:

1. A hand tool of the plier type comprising, in combination,

a pair of arm members each having a handle portion at one end and a jaw portion at its other end,

means pivotally interconnecting said arm members,

each arm portion having an aperture located intermediately of said pivot means and its associated handle portion, and

a torsion spring normally urging said arm members to lbight portion is in the form of a coil with said leg portions jaw-open position, said spring having coiled nub end issuing from the top and bottom thereof to lie in closely portions disposed within and freely pivotable in said spaced relation to the respective upper and lower surfaces apertures, a bight portion nested between said arm of said arm portions. members and leg portions joining said coiled nub 5 portions with said bight portion with one leg under- References Cited lying one of said arm members and the other leg UNITED STATES PATENTS overl ing the other of said arm members, whereby the ehtirety of said spring lies unobtrusively between g 1/1932 Hfdde 30.261 X said arm members said nub end portions of said 28558 1/1936 Nletzel et 30h186 X 10 2,046,642 7/1936 Lynch 30-186 spring terminating 1n normally enlarged diameter re- 3 040 420 6/1962 p 81 5 1 X mote end portions disposed to pIOJCClZ outwardly he 3,254,649 6/1966 Wood 81 5-1 X yond the sideview profile of said arms and to overlay the latter when the nub portions of the spring are p pivotally mounted thereon, thereby maintaining said 1 ROBERT RIORDON Pnmary Exammer spring nub end portions from unintended withdrawals R. PARKER, Assistant min I from said apertures while being freely pivotable thereir C1. X-R- 2. The hand tool according to claim 1 wherein said 30-261 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No 3 ,521 ,510 July 21 1970 Torsten F. Angquist It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as show below:

Column 2, line 46, beginning with "This is because" cancel all to and including "of the invention." in line 48, same column 2.

Signed and sealed this 23rd day of February 1971.

(SEAL) Attest:

WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR.

Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

